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The Following User Says Thank You to i_like_cake For This Useful Post:

Dont like to think about it. Hard enough to sleep as it is even at night. As I said on another tread his playing yesterday was awesome. He directed the show without seeming to make an effort. I compare him to Napoleon running his armies. What we should do is set up a site where we show recordings of all of the kicks he has missed because I dont think the web is big enough to hold all of the ones hes landed. The great thing is assuming no injuries hell be around for a good while yet. Hes in great condition and playing better than he has done in the past couple of years. Keep the leg swinging Ronan!

The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to fullmumhan For This Useful Post:

Get a backs coach and make use of the talent that you have from 11 out! You've got the players for a more high tempo, try scoring game - it's not ronan's natural game but it could be the way forward after him!

It's a bit of a tough one alright - at the mo the winning streak is pretty long with the munster squad but some of the wins have been so skin of the teeth I'd say the coaches are hesitant to give keatley the game time he needs right now. Rog is the difference in a fair few of the wins this season so they'd be hard pressed to drop him, even though it's for the long term benefit of the club. Hopefully after this season they can start making a few of the painful calls and build with the next generation of players coming through.

but it didn't take ROG a hundred H/Cup games to be GREAT. Sometimes I wonder in his prime was he ever appreciated by the masses.

Funny that. Just thinking similarly as I watched yesterdays match. But obviously we are now looking at him in a totally different light. After the 100+ HEC games there is only one word to describe our hero. LIGIND.

The Following User Says Thank You to isola ciarrai For This Useful Post:

Yep - tbh you're not gonna get a ROG again, there are very few 10's that are so strongly kicking orientated as him. He had limitations as a fly half in terms of his speed and strength so he really worked as hard as he could to maximise the areas of the game he was really strong at and I wonder if you're ever going to see similar again.

This thread is the perfect compliment to the BOD is the greatest thread. FFS when ROG retires we will get another 10 and build our game around the new circumstances and adapt.......thats what teams do.

Anybody who sees a psychiatrist would want their head examined.*&nb sp;Henry Ford

I`m gonna seriously miss ROG when he retires. At the risk of sounding like a school boy, he has always been my favourite player down through the years. There are certain players that are just Munster to the core and he is one of them. One of the things i`ll miss, besides all the obvious kicks and performances, is his interviews. He`s one of the only players who you know wont blow s**te in an interview and will speak exactly whats on his mind. He wears his heart on his sleeve and it`s refreshing to listen to someone like him speak after a game. One of my personal favourites was a few months back when he did an interview for either the Times or the Independent (cant remember which) and the heading was "I`m not a rugby player, I`m a Munster rugby player". Legend.

As for how will Munster cope without him, well we`ll prob struggle at first but the team will adapt and move on as any good team does. We`ll move on but we wont forget!!

If Conor Murray is the place kicker people say he is and, given what I have seen of his natural abilities in other areas, I would not be at all surprised, should the management be looking to get him kicking? Keatley has a massive boot but seems to lack a bit for accuracy and certainly doesn't seem to hold his nerve like ROG but very few do!!!! However, all the options should have at least 2 years to run as I could certainly see ROG playing until the summer of 2014, if not longer!!

Good point about the kicking. We probably have let developing that side of players go with others than Ronan as all you have to do is throw the ball to him if it is in range and walk back and add on the points. Another point which I admire in him is that he doesnt go over the top when he scores or wins a game. He might give a smile for a rabbo winner, raise an arm for a hienekin result and maybe jump once for a cup win. None of the running around making fists at people. The other point above about him being lighter is correct. You can compare Ronan to Jonny Wilkenson for England and now Toulon. Wilkinson regularly tackled people who were four or five stone bigger and even making good tackles you suffer the consequences and its sad now to see the number of injuries hes shifted. Ronan tackles when it is essential and leaves the rest to the back row forwards whos job it is to do so. Thats a sign of his real ability to read the game and we benefit as a consequence with Ronan still at his peak.

Thats what I love,Ulster are good no doubt and they may well beat Munster [every game is 50 .50 at kickoff] but what do all these teams have in common? Wasps ,Gloucester ,Sale ,Scarlets ,Northhampton ,Leinster and dare I say it Ulster to name but a few .Answer? They,ve all come to Thomond talking the talk but only leicester [when it did,nt matter] and Quins walked the walk.As already stated they could win but my God to listen to them you,d think they already had .So nothing new then.

Good point about the kicking. We probably have let developing that side of players go with others than Ronan as all you have to do is throw the ball to him if it is in range and walk back and add on the points. Another point which I admire in him is that he doesnt go over the top when he scores or wins a game. He might give a smile for a rabbo winner, raise an arm for a hienekin result and maybe jump once for a cup win. None of the running around making fists at people. The other point above about him being lighter is correct. You can compare Ronan to Jonny Wilkenson for England and now Toulon. Wilkinson regularly tackled people who were four or five stone bigger and even making good tackles you suffer the consequences and its sad now to see the number of injuries hes shifted. Ronan tackles when it is essential and leaves the rest to the back row forwards whos job it is to do so. Thats a sign of his real ability to read the game and we benefit as a consequence with Ronan still at his peak.

He tackles in the old fashioned, safe manner for a smaller man on bigger opponents and as a result has, touch wood missed very little rugby over his career; the contrast with Wilkinson could not be more stark!!!! As you say fullmumhan, he has left the big 'Hits' to the BR whose job it is but I have never seen him duck out of a challenge or p*ss off and hide on the wing. One other thing that is overlooked as well with ROG, is that for all he is supposedly unpopular with other teams etc, what was the first thing he did after Jones missed that kick in the GS game? Straight up to console him, so a sportsman as well. And I will not forget the way he looked after Paul Derbyshire at the ML final in May, his only concern was looking after his friend and he lavished the sort of attention you would see from a son looking after his frail father. A great man indeed!!!

Didnt mean to imply that he dodged tackles far from it but he knows when he has to make that tackle and when he can depend on those whos job it is. On the kicking we shouldnt overlook his defense line kicking. You saw it in the match on Saturday when he kept getting behind the Treviso defense and either got the bounce into touch as deep as possible or else gave our runners a chance to put pressure. Forced them to give away some juicy defensive kicks/lineouts too. Agree too about being sporting thats what I meant he doesnt gloat or stick in peoples faces doesnt need to. He lets his rugby do the talking and is very articulated as a consequence.

We've been saying it for years that if ROG gets injured we're f*cked! Personally I'd have more confidence in Deasy at OH. I still think he will take over ROG's mantle. I've always been a fan and I think if he got a run in the side we would really get to see what he's like.

'I'd made it across the line; made it to the holy land' - Madser Maddog Viscount Wonderhair

The two boys have been there since the beginning of this era and I think it is fitting that they should end it beyond all the 'liginds and stalwarts' Its typical of O'Gara to play longer than the rest, the mans competitive element has never ever waned, he's as hungry for glory now as he was almost 15 years ago.

His game isn't based on speed or physicality and for all the hammering he's taken during his defensive duties he has two good shoulders and all the other limbs have never given trouble. There is no reason why he couldnt outstrip Mike Catt or any other geriatric for the golden oldie outhalf. I dont see him slowing down for a long time yet, the man is dependable and his form is almost mechanically constant.

Look at his reaction to the Sexton tête-à-tête, other players in that situation would have said they'd their stint done and that was fair enough lets make room for the youngster, not ROG though, he was pissed, he's a vicious competitor and thats why he'll last.